Floor-waxing machine.



PATBNTBD APR. 30, 1907.

2 SHEETS-$111131" 1.

G. B.- WATTLES.

FLOOR WAXING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED rm. 5. 190a.

'1' I HENLEY.

No. 852,087. PATENTED APR. 30, 1907.

C. B. WATTLES.

FLOOR WAXING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 5, 190s.-

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

WITNESSES. INVENTDH.

n45 mum/s PETERS ca, WASNINGYON. D. c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIOE.

OYRA B. WVATTLES, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO SUR- FAOING MACHINE COMPANY, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, A

CORPORATION OF RHODE ISLAND.

FLOOR-WAXING MACHINE;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 80, 1907.

To a IDA/(Hit it may concern:

Be it known that I, CYRA B. l/VATTLES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Flooraxing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to an improvement in floor polishing machines and more particularly to an improvement in floor polishing machines in which wax is used for the polishing medium.

In the old method of polishing hard wood floors with wax by hand, or with tools oper ated by hand, the floors were imperfectly polished owing to the uneven distribution of the wax on the floor. This method was also laborious and expensive 011 account of the time required and the excessive use of the wax beyond that actually required for the purpose.

The object of my invention is to polish. a floor with wax more perfectly and expeditiously than has heretofore been done.

Another object of my invention is to improve the construction of a floor waxing ma chine whereby wax is applied to the floor and the floor polished in one continuous opera' tion.

A further object of my invention is to re duce the cost of polishing wood floors with wax or other homogeneous substances.

My invention consists in the peculiar and novel construction of a floor waxing machine comprising a frame, a handle pivotally secured to the frame, means for limiting the downward movement of the handle, wheels supporting the rear of the frame, a roller brush rotatably supported in bearings in the frame and supporting the forward end of the frame, a motor rigidly secured to the frame, a belt connecting the driving pulley of the motor with a pulley on the roller brush shaft, a cylindrical wax retaining easing having a longitudinal slot in its underside, arms rig idly secured to the casing and pivotally secured to the frame of the machine in a position to bring the slot in the casing over the roller brush, a round bar of wax or other homogeneous substance adapted to enter the casing and extend partly through the slot in the same, means for adjusting the casing vertically, and means for lifting the wax out of contact with the roller brush, as will be more fully set forth hereinafter.

Figure l is a top plan view of my improved floor waxing machine, showing the motor operatively connected with the roller brush shaft. Fig. 2 is a vertical side view shown partly in section to show the construction. of the waxing mechanism. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2 through the hearings and casing of the waxing mechanism. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view looking at the underside of the wax retaining casing, and showing the lon gitudinal slot in the same, and Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 of a modified form of wax retaining casing, showing a series of openings in the underside of the casing.

In the drawings, a indicates the frame, I) the handle, 0 c the wheels, (Z the roller brush, 0 the motonf the belt, 1 the cylindrical wax retaining casing, h 7: arms pivotally supporting the casing on the frame, i a cord operativel y connecting the casing g wit-h -the handle b and 7a a cylindrical bar of wax or other homogeneous substance in the casing g of my improved floor waxing machine.

The frame a is constructed to have a body portion 0 adapted to hold the motor 0, two forwardly-extending arms a a supporting on. their ends the bearings a a for the shaft of the roller brush (1, the bosses a (0 in which are the adjusting bolts a on the inner face of the arms (L2 (L2, the stop pins a a on the innor face of the arms a) a and the two rearwardly extending lugs (L7 a to which the lower end of the handle I) is pivotally secured, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The handle bhas a T-shaped upper end 6 and the downwardly-extending stop lug b on its lower end in a position to engage with the rear portion of the frame a, as shown in Fig. 2. The handle 7) is sufficiently long to bring the upper T-shaped end 1) into a con venient position for the operator.

The wheels 0 c are rotatably secured to the axles c e which are secured to the frame a in any well known way and in a position to bring the greater weight of the frame (1 and the motor 6 on the roller brush (Z.

The roller brush is secured to the shaft (1 which is supported in the bearing a a A pulley d is secured to the end of the shaft (1 coinciding with the pulley side of the motor 6, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

The motor e may be of any kind desired. In the preferred form I use an electric motor connected to a source of electric energy by a flexible cable not shown, and having a driving shaft e on which is a pulley 6 connected to the pulley d on the shaft of the roller brush (1 by the belt f, and secured to the frame a of the machine by the bolts e 6 as shown in Fig. 1.

The wax retaining casing 9 consists of a cylindrical tube g having a closed end 9 the open end 9 and the longitudinal slot 9 in its underside, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The open end g is closed by a cover 9 pivotally secured to the adjacent arm h by the pivot screw g and having the combined stop and lifter finger 9 as shown in Fig. 3. In the modified form, as shown in Fig. 5, a series of openings 9 g in the underside of the casing are used in place of the longitudinal slot g. The curved arms h h are rigidly secured at their upper ends to the casing g adjacent the ends and pivotally secured to the arms a a on the frame at intermediate the bosses a a and the stop pins a a in a position to bring the slot 9 in the casing 9 over the top of the roller brush d and the arms 7 it into engagement with the adjusting bolts a a as shown in Fig. 2.

The cord i is secured at the lower end to the ring 7) on the casing g and at the upper end to the ring i on the handle I) and extends through the ring i on the motor e, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

In the operation of my improved floor waxing machine the motor 6 revolves the roller brush (Z on the floor at a high rate of speed through the driving pulley 6 the belt 7" and the pulley d on the roller brush shaft (1, while the operator moves the machine on the floor by the handle I). The cylindrical bar of wax It extends through the slot 9 in the casing 9 and rests on the bristles of the roller brush d, as shown in Fig. 2, and the pressure of the'wax on the brush may be varied by adjusting the adjusting bolt (1 to raise or lower the casing g. The rapidly revolving brush engaging the cylindrical bar of wax disintegrates the wax and deposits the same on the floor Where it is worked intothe grain of the wood by the brush and the floor polished with the Wax by the rapidly revolving brush in one continuous operation of the machine. The brush revolving in contact with the cylindrical bar of wax causes the wax to revolve in the casing, thus causing the wax to continuously present a new surface to the brush, until the wax is practically worn away. In practice I find that the heat generated by the friction of the brush on the wax causes the same to be deposited on the floor in a semifluid condition, thereby greatly facilitating the polishing of a floor with wax. If at any time it is required to discontinue the waxing process and use the machine for polishing only, the operator raises the wax out of engagement with the brush by pulling on the cord 6- and the brush may be raised from the floor when required by depressing the handle I) of the machine, or the pressure of the brush on the floor may be varied by varying the pressure on the handle, the wheels 0 c acting as a fulcrum. The cylindrical rod 7c may be of wax, paraffin or any other homogeneous substance adaptable for the purpose. The modified form of wax retaining casing, as shown in Fig. 5, is used where a slight application only of wax is required in polishing a floor.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A floor waxing machine comprising a frame, a handle pivotally secured to the frame, wheels rotatably secured to the frame, a motor secured to the frame, a roller brush rotatably secured in bearings in the frame, means for operatively connecting the motor with the roller brush to revolve the brush, a cylindrical casing having a longitudinal slot, arms rigidly secured to the casing and pivotally secured to the frame of the machine in a position to bring the cylindrical rod of wax into frictional contact with the roller brush through the slot in the casing, and means for adjusting the casing relative to the roller brush.

2. A floor waxing machine comprising a frame, a handle pivotally secured to the frame, wheels rotatably secured to the frame, a motor secured to the frame, a roller brush rotatably secured in bearings in the frame, means for operatively connecting the motor with the roller brush to revolve the brush, a cylindrical casing having a longitudinal slot, a closed end and an open end, a cover adapted to close the open end of the casing, arms rigidly secured to the casing and pivotally secured to the frame of the machine in a position to bring the casing over the brush and the wax into frictional contactwith the brush through the slot in the casing, means for adjusting the casing relative to the brush, means for raising the casing and the wax out of contact with the brush, and means for limiting the upward movement of the casing.

3. In a floor waxing machine, the combination of a frame a, a handle I) pivotally secured to the frame, wheels 0 c rotatably se cured to the frame, a roller brush (Z rotatably secured in bearings in the frame, a motor 6 secured to the frame, means for operatively connecting the motor with the roller brush to revolve the brush, a zasing 9 consisting of a cylindrical tube g having the closed end g the open end 9 the longitudinal slot 9 and the cover g, curved arms h h rigidly secured at their upper ends to the casing g and pivotally secured at their lower ends to the frame (a of the maehlne 1n a position to bring the slot g in the casing 9 over the top of the roller 1 brush (Z, a cord 1' seeul ed at one end to the 1 easing g and at the other end to the handle I), and means for adjusting the casing 9 relative to the roller brush (Z, as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

CYRA B. WVATTLES.

Witnesses:

ADA E. HAGERTY, J. A. MILLER. 

